Petshark: Talking Stick

didn’t skate this morning. The Red Wings are on a losing streak, some say it a sign of things to come for post-Lidstrom hockey in Detroit. Lidstrom may not be playing tonight but the Red Wings are not “post-Lidstrom” yet. Besides, Datsyuk is back. I am overwrought with concern for his health, quite appalled that they would let him play so soon after his surgery. He should by no means be playing yet, he should wait until Monday.

Too bad.

Even with Wingels’ recent injury, the Sharks are healthier than they’ve been in a while. If indeed neither White nor Vandermeer are injured even a little, playing Demers and Braun together may signal a real shift in philosophy for the Sharks. I like it.

Still, the last game saw a lot of partner swapping on defense:

Vlasic pointed out that he played with multiple defense partners against Nashville — Boyle, Brent Burns at times, Braun.

“Everybody was rolling,” Vlasic said. “All six of us were playing very well and he rewarded everybody by mixing it up like that.” -Working the Corners

I thought that was interesting, because the one player who seemed to not be having a great game was Vlasic. Maybe I mistook creativity for trouble handling the puck. Hey, everyone has an off day. This idea that all the D pairs were shuffled around through the game to reward some for good play feels like a pulled leg.

So will the Sharks do that for a third game in a row, put the young offensive defensemen together as the third pair? I hope so, I’ve liked how they play together, and since the team doesn’t seem to want to try Vandermeer there again, the only other option is White. Odd that White would be taken out of the game only after his play improved somewhat.

Which is why I suspect secret injuries all around, but I suspect those most of the time. Just because I’m paranoid doesn’t mean I’m wrong:

David Pollak ‏@PollakOnSharks: “...unless there’s some unknown owies at this point, I’d expect things will look much like they did in 2-1 shootout win over NSH.”

Hey, maybe the coaching staff has seen the light: the kids are all right.

Based on who left the ice first, or last this morning, Demers and Braun are in. No line rushes this morning.

Handzus and Wingels were the last forwards to leave the ice, staying on with Vandermeer and White and Greiss. So I guess those are the scratches.

Murray and Burns didn’t skate this morning but that isn’t alarming, is it? Galiardi came out late but didn’t stay late. Don’t know what to make of that.

About Petshark: Talking Stick

Native of Northern California. Hockey fan since 1998... sort of... there's a hiatus in there that I still can't explain.

I want to know about anything and everything related to the sport and the spectacle. I watch, I react, I write it down.

My interest in the Sharks was initially a matter of geographic convenience and regional loyalty because that seemed to be how it worked. I had no prior interest (at all-- AT ALL) in professional sports of any kind. When I met hockey, it might have set off a chain reaction of general sports fandom. It hasn't, I don't think it will. At all.

Since then, that interest developed into full blown (mostly sort of usually almost completely) exclusive loyalty to the Sharks.

I started blogging a couple years ago on wordpress. I still occasionally put things there that I don't think fit here because they are not about the Sharks. Wherever my words wander, here on Kuklas Korner, they will (usually) hang on to a teal thread.

I can be found in cyberspace on Twitter @petshark47, or emailed at talkingstick@petshark.net